The present exemplary embodiment relates to inventory management. It finds particular application in conjunction with airport lounges, and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the present exemplary embodiment is also amenable to other like applications.
Airport lounges provide a place to relax, be productive, freshen up, or just get away from the hectic atmosphere of airports. In the past, airport lounges were the domain of first class flyers and frequent flyers that spend significant amounts of time in airports. Casual flyers had little interest in airport lounges. However, in recent times, air travel has seen increasing numbers of delays, cancellations, diversions, and misconnects. Even casual flyers can spend significant amounts of time in airports. Hence, there is increasing interest amongst casual flyers for airport lounges.
A challenge facing flyers with interest in airport lounges is the lack of knowledge regarding the availability of lounges and the amenities offered by lounges. Around the world there are hundreds, if not thousands, of lounges with differing access rules and differing amenities. However, flyers don't have a centralized computer system they can visit to properly assess the availability of all lounges. Rather, flyers merely have centralized computer systems for groups (but not all) of lounges. Hence, flyers typically need to access several centralized computer systems, physically visit the lounges, and/or directly contact the lounge operators to fully assess all available lounges. This can be burdensome and may dissuade flyers from accessing lounges.
Central directories providing flyers with a listing of airport lounges and amenities offered by the lounges are known. However, the directories are poorly suited for assessing the availability of lounges. The directories do not incorporate dynamic updates to access rules of the lounges or data regarding the occupancy of the lounges. Rather, the directories merely identify static access rules, such as membership requirements and hours of operation.
On the other hand, a challenge facing operators of airport lounges is the operators' inability to effectively provide flyers with information regarding the airport lounges. Lounge operators may be willing to allow access to lounges for reduced prices during certain periods, such as slow periods, but typically have no way of effectively conveying this to flyers. Hence, lounge operators may lose out on sales.
Another challenge facing operators of airport lounges is that the airport lounges are typically managed by proprietary computer systems which implement only the most basic of functionality. The proprietary computer systems can verify access rules, allow reservations, and monitor the ingress and egress of flyers. However, the proprietary computer systems lack the ability to dynamically adjust the access rules based on conditions within the lounges. Further, the proprietary computer systems lack the ability to dynamically adjust the distribution of the flyers within the lounges.
The present application provides a new and improved system and method which overcome these problems and others.